# 2021 CFL global draft

The 2021 CFL global draft took place on April 15, 2021 and was the first CFL draft that pooled all of the global players together after previously having separate drafts for Mexican players and European players in 2019. 36 players were chosen from among eligible players following a virtual CFL Combine. The order of the draft was determined by random lottery, similar to the system used for the 2021 CFL draft. As a snake draft, each odd round was in the opposite order of each even round.

## Background

The Canadian Football League introduced global players for the 2019 CFL season through the LFA and European drafts where each team was required to have one of these player on the active roster and up to two on the practice roster. The league had planned to have one single draft for global players in 2020 just before the start of the season, but with the 2020 CFL season cancelled, so was this draft. The 2020 draft was planned to have five rounds
For the 2021 CFL season, teams are required to keep two global players on the active roster and up to three on the practice roster. Global players are required to sign their first contracts for a length of two years plus a one-year club option.

## Trades

In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.

### Round three

* Toronto → Calgary (PD). Toronto traded this selection and a fifth-round pick in the 2021 CFL draft to Calgary in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2021 CFL draft, a fourth-round pick in the 2021 global draft, and the rights to Eric Rogers, Cordarro Law, and Robertson Daniel.

### Round four

* Calgary → Toronto (PD). Calgary traded this selection, a sixth-round pick in the 2021 CFL draft, and the rights to Eric Rogers, Cordarro Law, and Robertson Daniel to Toronto in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2021 CFL draft and a third-round pick in the 2021 global draft.

## Draft order
### Round one

| Pick # | CFL team | Player | Position | University/club team | Nationality |
| 1 | BC Lions | Jake Ford | P | Ouachita Baptist | Australia |
| 2 | Edmonton Football Team | Steven Nielsen | OL | Eastern Michigan | Denmark |
| 3 | Toronto Argonauts | Tigie Sankoh | DB | Kent Exiles | Great Britain |
| 4 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Les Maruo | LB | UTSA | Japan |
| 5 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Christopher Ezeala | RB | Ingolstadt Dukes | Germany |
| 6 | Montreal Alouettes | Joseph Zema | P | Incarnate Word | Australia |
| 7 | Calgary Stampeders | Cody Grace | P | Arkansas State | Australia |
| 8 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Joel Whitford | P | Washington | Australia |
| 9 | Ottawa Redblacks | Anthony Mahoungou | REC | Purdue | France |

### Round two

| Pick # | CFL team | Player | Position | University/club team | Nationality |
| 10 | Ottawa Redblacks | Tyron Vrede | LB | North Dakota | Netherlands |
| 11 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Chris Mulumba | DL | Colorado | Finland |
| 12 | Calgary Stampeders | Franklin Agbasimere | DL | Missouri | Nigeria |
| 13 | Montreal Alouettes | Akio Yamagishi | LB | Fujitsu Frontiers | Japan |
| 14 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Kaare Vedvik | P | Marshall | Norway |
| 15 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Tomoya Machino | OL | Fujitsu Frontiers | Japan |
| 16 | Toronto Argonauts | Toshiki Sato | K | IBM Big Blue | Japan |
| 17 | Edmonton Football Team | Misiona Aiolupotea-Pei | DL | Washington State | New Zealand |
| 18 | BC Lions | Bo Qiao Li | DL | Charleston | China |

### Round three

| Pick # | CFL team | Player | Position | University/club team | Nationality |
| 19 | BC Lions | Takeru Yamasaki | K | Obic Seagulls | Japan |
| 20 | Edmonton Football Team | Tibo Debaillie | DL | Towson | Belgium |
| 21 | Calgary Stampeders (via Toronto) | Aaron Donkor | LB | Arkansas State | Germany |
| 22 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Ayo Oyelola | LB | Nottingham | Great Britain |
| 23 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Jon Henry Nell | K | N/A (Baltimore Brigade) | South Africa |
| 24 | Montreal Alouettes | Taku Lee | RB | Obic Seagulls | Japan |
| 25 | Calgary Stampeders | Isaac Alarcón | OL | Monterrey IT | Mexico |
| 26 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | David Izinyon | LB | Rostock Griffins | Great Britain |
| 27 | Ottawa Redblacks | Chris Ferguson | OL | Cincinnati | The Bahamas |

### Round four

| Pick # | CFL team | Player | Position | University/club team | Nationality |
| 28 | Ottawa Redblacks | Tony Anderson | DB | Grand View | France |
| 29 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Dominik Eberle | K | Utah State | Germany |
| 30 | Toronto Argonauts (via Calgary) | Max Duffy | P | Kentucky | Australia |
| 31 | Montreal Alouettes | William James | DB | North Dakota | Sweden |
| 32 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Sebastien Sagne | REC | Frankfurt Universe | Finland |
| 33 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Arryn Siposs | P | Auburn | Australia |
| 34 | Toronto Argonauts | Sammis Reyes | REC | Tulane | Chile |
| 35 | Edmonton Football Team | Matt Leo | DE | Iowa State | Australia |
| 36 | BC Lions | Niklas Gustav | DL | Morningside | Germany |